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Topic: Bee gods taketh and giveth. (Read 2638 times)

Well I hived my package from rweaver apiaries last week. Went back 3 days later to remove the queen cage. While I drove up and was getting my protective gear on. They absconded. Poof $130 clams gone. Well I've decided that it was either the near by colony of survivor bees harassing them or the open screened bottom of my tbh that they didn't like. I was pretty depressed. Today though I was on my way to do another cut out when the client called me and had to reschedule. Well bummer. I decided to head to the flea market and look for a pot to use as a wax renderer. Happens to be the lady who own the house where the harassing bees were cut out from lives near the flea market. I figured I'll do a follow up and make sure everything is going ok. I call her and everything is good but she tells me of a swarm that came a few days ago and left. I let her know I can help her with those too. She hangs up and I'm disappointed I didn't get the swarm. Well she calls back 10 seconds later to let me know the bees swarmed in her mesquite tree. I headed over there and snatched them up. They're in my 24" tbh now. She offered to pay me but I told her i'll give her a free-bee if she laughs at my joke. I figure it will bee good karma. I was so excited I didn't take pictures.

I'm trying to make sure the colony stays in my tbh. I fed them and the entrance is reduced. I also put them in my back yard so they are the only colony here.

I found the queen and I was read to catch her when my brand new clip style queen catch broke on its maiden voyage. I was mad! Walter Kelly took care of me though. She a fat queen I though drone at first but her eyes are small.

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"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain

Get the screen bottom covered until they are established, or you will see it again.

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"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me . . . Anything can happen, child. Anything can be"

I have a SBB on my new hive (one deep on the stand) do I need to be worried about this? I don't have a bottom board made yet to close it off, but I can make one fast enough and there's a channel/space for one to go......

On another note, I've seen mixed responses about using an entrance reducer on a new package install. I do have on of the metal mouse guards which reduces the opening some, but not as small as a reducer.....I could put some duct tape on the mouse guard (no sticky side exposed) on 1/2 to 2/3 of the mouse guard, is this something I should worry about? It's been warm and sunny the past few days and they seem pretty happy....I'm trying to leave them alone for a few more days as I just installed them Friday afternoon and took out the Queen cage on Sunday.....

Thanks!

NP

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"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." —Franklin D. Roosevelt

I have had many bees fly off on me and gets me questioning what I could have done but some just don't like where you put em. Had a queen trapped for three days from a swarm last week and used the queen catcher to get a swarm from somewhere else this past Saturday and when I got back the other swarm left and have no idea where they took off to. I just got four seperate hives to remove in the next week so I am building up my yard bigger than expected and a home owners association offered to advertise my services for free in their up coming newsletter. Never thought I would have so many but finding that not to many doing removals in our area besides JP and Schawee. Rather get paid for getting bees to support my sweet tooth! :-D

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Psalm 19:9-10The fear of the Lord is clean,enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.More to be desired are they than gold, yea ,than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Ah, you guys are from the videos on you tube. I've learned a few things from jpthebeeman. I'm originally from the Lake Charles area. I'm always glad to see you guys work so gentle bees. I can't imagine my local bees that gentle at all.

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"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain

Get the screen bottom covered until they are established, or you will see it again.

Let's just say there is a chance he might see it again. I have hived nearly thirty swarms onto screens over the last four years, including four tbh, and exactly two of them have absconded. Both were from Langs.

i always use screened bottom boards for my swarms because i don't have to worry about ventilation on the drive home. never (knock on wood) have lost one. BUT i do have lots of old comb and i always feed.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

Yeah they taketh again. I just went to look at the hive this morning and there gone. They made about a pinky size section of comb and that's it. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I've lost survivor bees, a package, and now a swarm. I have a feeling when I check the bee yard the other survivor bees will be gone to.

I've seen the tip of putting a frame of brood to keep them stay but I'm starting out. I don't have those resources. I feed them, I didn't bother them, I reduced the entrance,I put a solid bottom on my hive.

I've got one more package coming I'm going to put them in a Lang. If that doesn't work I'm going to sell what I got on eBay and give up.

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"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain

Ouch, the hits just keep coming. I went to check on my last hive yesterday. It was knocked over and a majority of the comb was gone. I suspect raccoons. I decided to clear up all my equipment. When I was bent over I looked at a small mesquite tree and there was a tiny cluster on it. I knocked it into a box and brought it home. The cluster was about the size of a baseball. I found the queen. I ended up putting them in a brood box unfortunately I don't have any drawn comb or a frame of brood to put in there. I'm feeding them sugar water with a Baggie and tomorrow i'll have some bee pro pollen sub. I talked with the nearest and only other beekeeper in my area and if he can manage to get out to his bee yard he is going to give me a frame of brood (crossing fingers).

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"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain

Well luckily enough I put a frame of capped brood in. It had some capped honey and some pollen too. They have a sugar syrup and a pollen sub. I don't know what else I could do. I guess I could put a queen excluder on the bottom of the box. I would like to avoid the use of a queen excluder if possible.

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"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." -Mark Twain